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Riverside Drive Welcome Center

Pose for photo memories here with statues of Elvis Presley and B.B. King on the shores of the Mighty Mississippi, as you prepare to head out on the Cotton Junction Trail. Pick up info about the area's attractions, coupons for restaurants and hotels, and get the scoop on local festivals and events.

More About:Memphis

The city of Memphis was originally settled by the Spanish in the late 1700s. It was officially founded in 1819 by a group of property investors that included Andrew Jackson, and named for the ancient capital of Egypt. The area proved tough to develop, with natural disasters, epidemics, and competitions with neighboring cities presenting challenges to the first residents. When the railroad came to town in 1842, Memphis began to grow, and by the 1860s, it was connected to the Southeast and Midwest. The city grew to 12 times its size in those 20 years, with many German and Irish immigrants shaping the culture. It was during this prosperous time that Memphis earned the title "Biggest Inland Cotton Market in the World." Once a slave trading center in the 1850s, the city has been an important landmark for African-American cultural experience as well as a crucial battlefield in the fight for civil rights. Memphis is the birthplace of Holiday Inn and FedEx, the famous home of Elvis Presley and Beale Street, and a popular destination for visitors from around the world. « less

The city of Memphis was originally settled by the Spanish in the late 1700s. It was officially founded in 1819 by a group of property investors that included Andrew Jackson, and named for the ancient capital of Egypt. more »

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Cotton Museum

Discover a plant that changed the world, built Memphis and influenced the very fiber of the city. When you visit here, you're treading on the legendary floor of the Memphis Cotton Exchange. Following a thorough restoration, this former members-only establishment now shares the story of cotton’s impact on the region and global economy. You can also take a self-guided tour of Cotton Row, the historic block surrounding the museum.

The Peabody Hotel

This 1925 landmark continues to welcome visitors to the heart of downtown. It is most famous for its unusual residents: a group of ducks lives on the rooftop. Each day, they march to the Grand Lobby at 11 a.m., and return to their quarters at 5 p.m. The tradition dates back to 1933.

Turn R on S. 2nd St., go 2 blocks to pt. 5.
From 2nd to 3rd Sts., Beale St. is closed to vehicles. Park & walk to see itÂ’s attractions.

More About:Fueling Up

You won’t find gas stations on the Natchez Trace Parkway. There is a station between the Loveless Café and the Trace’s northern terminus. Fill your tank here, or find fuel just off the Parkway on any of the six loops described in this brochure.

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National Civil Rights Museum

This award-winning museum is the site of the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The museum honors the lessons of the American Civil Rights Movement by chronicling its impact. When you visit, make sure you see Room 306 Â— where Dr. King stayed the night before he died.

More About:Nashville City Cemetery

Just over the treeline is Nashville City Cemetery founded in 1822, the city’s oldest continually operated public cemetery. Nashville’s founder
James Robertson and his wife are buried there. It was also where President James K. Polk was temporarily interred. He was buried two more times: at Polk Place in Nashville and finally on the grounds of the
Tennessee State Capitol (point 3). « less

Just over the treeline is Nashville City Cemetery founded in 1822, the city’s oldest continually operated public cemetery. Nashville’s founder more »

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Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum

This permanent exhibition about the birth of rock and soul music was created by the Smithsonian Institution and tells the story of musical pioneers who overcame racial and socio-economic barriers to create the music that shook the entire world.

The Little Tea Shop

Founded in 1918 in the basement of the Cotton Exchange building, the eatery moved to its current location in the 1930s. They serve up old-fashioned comfort food with a smile Â— be sure to try the “Lacy Special.”

Confederate Park

On June 6, 1862, the Mississippi River was the site of an intense Civil War battle. In the Battle of Memphis, Confederate forces fought fearlessly to keep control of the waterfront, but it wasn’t enough. Take in a view from the bluffs where nearly 10,000 people watched as the Union crushed the Confederacy. Today, those who died are remembered here in plaques and markers.

More About:Great River Road

Legendary author Mark Twain called the Mississippi River “The Body of the Nation” and on the Great River Road National Scenic Byway it’s easy to see why. The byway stretches across 10 states through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. That’s over 2,000 miles of sweeping views, charming drives, lush riverbanks and well-preserved landmarks for travelers to enjoy. In Tennessee, the byway follows the western border of the state and takes you to incredible scenic areas along the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Plain, home to an amazing array of wildlife and a birdwatcher’s paradise. Visitors can take in spectacular views from the four historic Chickasaw Bluffs, travel to Reelfoot Lake for fishing and canoeing or experience the route’s various campsites, state parks, country stores and Civil War sites. There are few roads in America that contain the depth and breadth of the Great River Road National Scenic Byway. As a true piece of Americana, this journey is meant to be savored.
National Scenic Byways are designated as such based on their archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic qualities. There are 150 nationally designated byway routes in 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, with five located in Tennessee. « less

Legendary author Mark Twain called the Mississippi River “The Body of the Nation” and on the Great River Road National Scenic Byway it’s easy to see why. more »

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Mud Island

This small peninsula between the Mississippi and Wolf Rivers offers a lot to do on its 52 acres, including the Mississippi River Museum, River ParkÂ and Amphitheater. Take a ride on the monorail, and don’t miss the River Walk, a five-block-long, scale model of the Lower Mississippi River. Learn about history and geography as you walk along--and even in--the flowing water of the “river.” It's one of the best and most unique ways to learn about the Mighty Mississippi. Open May-Oct.

More About:Mud \"Peninsula?\"

The name “Mud Island” is a little misleading; it's actually a peninsula between the Wolf River and the Mississippi River. But even before it was a peninsula, it first appeared as a sandbar in the late 1890s and increased in size during the floods of 1912. Legend says that the sandbar emerged as a buildup of silt around a sunken Civil War gunboat battle. By the Great Depression, squatters began living on the island, though it flooded almost every year. Public discussion centered on whether to use the island or blow it up, and eventually an airport was installed in the 1960s. Now the island is home to a river park, amphitheater and museum. It’s also a great place to rent canoes and kayaks during the summer months. « less

The name “Mud Island” is a little misleading; it's actually a peninsula between the Wolf River and the Mississippi River. But even before it was a peninsula, it first appeared as a sandbar in the late 1890s and increased in size during the floods of 1912. more »

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Slave Haven Museum

This 1849 clapboard house was a way station on the Underground Railroad, a series of hiding places for runaway slaves seeking freedom in the North and Canada. Take the tour and visit the hidden tunnels, trap doors, and cellars where slaves waited for their chanceÂ to escape to the Mississippi River on their way to the next secret stop. The house is furnished with period pieces and slave artifacts. Hours vary, call ahead.

More About:Cordell Hull Lake

Cordell Hull Lake is one of fishing’s best-kept secrets; its 381 miles of shoreline and over 20 boat launching ramps make it accessible with or without a boat, and the lake provides both cold and warm water fishing year-round, thanks to the dam's cool reservoir and the tributaries’ warmer feeds. « less

Cordell Hull Lake is one of fishing’s best-kept secrets; its 381 miles of shoreline and over 20 boat launching ramps make it accessible with or without a boat, and the lake provides both cold and warm water fishing year-round, thanks to the dam's cool reservoir and the tributaries’ warmer feeds. more »

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St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

This facility is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in catastrophic childhood diseases. It was founded in 1962 by Hollywood entertainer Danny Thomas; you can visit his burial place and see memorabilia from his life at the Danny Thomas/ ALSAC Pavilion. Hospital tours available Mon.-Fri., 10a.m.-1p.m.; call to schedule.

Memphis Zoo

This 100-year-old zoo is home to more than 3,500 animals representing over 500 different species. Visit giant pandas Ya Ya and Le Le, the Once Upon a Farm exhibit, Teton Trek and Cat Canyon. Covering over 70 acres in Overton Park, this wild experience is just minutes from downtown.

More About:James GillilandÂ’

Local craftsman James Gilliland's family was separated by slavery and reunited near the end of the Civil War. Having no formal education, he taught himself by candlelight, and later became a student at the Turner Normal Institute in Shelbyville. He gained a reputation as one of the best stonemasons in the area and worked on many stately structures (including point 251). He was a savvy businessperson, eventually owning over 300 acres around Shelbyville, which he rented and sold to the poor at prices they could afford. « less

Local craftsman James Gilliland's family was separated by slavery and reunited near the end of the Civil War. Having no formal education, he taught himself by candlelight, and later became a student at the Turner Normal Institute in Shelbyville. more »

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Cheffie’s Café

This unique eatery offers fresh salads and sandwiches. Save room for dessert Â— itÂ’s famous for its gelato bar!

More About:First Holiday Inn

You’ll soon pass a marker at the site of the world's first Holiday Inn, opened in August 1952 by Memphis entrepreneur Kemmons Wilson, inspired by his own unsatisfactory hotel stay while on a vacation. The 120-room motel ultimately evolved into the world's largest hotel-motel system.

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Arlington

Known as the “best kept secret in Memphis,” this charming town was named for Arlington National Cemetery. Many of its current residents are descendents of itsÂ founders, who arrived here in the 1830s and watched the town grow around the Memphis & Ohio Railroad. Park at Depot Square and visit the historic post office and the Rachael H.K. Burrow Museum.

When yellow fever struck Memphis in 1878, Arlington’s community leaders quarantined the town and forbid outsiders from entering.

More About:Yellow Fever

In 1873, the Mississippi River brought a deadly round of yellow fever to Memphis, a city prone to epidemics due to poor sanitation. When the disease recurred in 1878, over 25,000 people fled the city. Most never returned, causing the city to lose its charter. About 20,000 stayed, 14,000 of whom were African-Americans. Most of the remaining whites died, but only 1,000 African-Americans perished, thanks to a natural resilience to the mosquito-transmitted disease. For the first time, African-Americans were the racial majority in Memphis, holding leadership positions and jobs formerly reserved only for whites. This made Memphis different from other Southern cities at the time; this was the era of Beale Street, the birth of the blues, and Robert Church, the first African-American millionaire. Yellow fever not only changed the city’s population; it shaped its culture.
When yellow fever struck Memphis in 1878, Arlington's community leaders quarantined the town and forbid outsiders from entering. « less

In 1873, the Mississippi River brought a deadly round of yellow fever to Memphis, a city prone to epidemics due to poor sanitation. When the disease recurred in 1878, over 25,000 people fled the city. Most never returned, causing the city to lose its charter. more »

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Grapevine Tea Room

This quaint spot is the perfect place for a quiet lunch or a celebration. Enjoy the fresh dishes on the menu and visit the gift shop.

Vinegar Jim’s

Created to resemble a Natchez Trace tavern from the mid-1800s, this restaurant was built out of poplar trees and materials salvaged from 19th-century structures from MemphisÂ’ Pinch District. StopÂ in for steak or catfish, then finish your meal with a fried pie!

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The river, the people, and the land and its produce are all deeply intertwined in the history of the Cotton Junction trail. West Tennessee has contributed enormously to the world’s musical heritage, helping to birth blues, rock’n’roll, and rock-a-billy. And the region has played a crucial role in the history of the United States, seeing spectacular river battles and land engagements during the Civil War, and contributing greatly to the economic welfare of the nation.

PRE-HISTORY to 19th CENTURY

Western Tennessee has been occupied by human beings for approximately 10,000 years, first by members of the Mississippian Culture and then those of the Chickasaw tribe. The location that became Memphis was originally settled by the Spanish in the late 1700s, when a fort was constructed there to give the Spanish control of navigation on the Mississippi River.

The Spanish later abandoned Fort San Fernando de las Barrancas when they signed a treaty that ceded control of the area to the new American colonies. Named for the ancient capital of Egypt, the city of Memphis as we know it today was officially founded in 1819 by a group of property investors, including Andrew Jackson, who would later become President of the United States.

From the earliest days of the steamboat, through the present day, Memphis has been a major center of river transportation. Passenger steamers linked Memphis with river ports up and down the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri Rivers as late as the 1920s. In 1842, railroad lines linked Memphis with the outside world, and the city began to grow quickly. It was during this prosperous time that Memphis earned the title “Biggest Inland Cotton Market in the World.”

Unfortunately the prosperity was tempered by the wrath of nature. Located on the river, with rudimentary and aging sanitation, and with a warm climate, Memphis found itself in the crosshairs of yellow fever, a terrible viral disease spread by the mosquitos that bred in the swamps and sewers around the city. Most victims of the disease died within two weeks. Ironically, the disease was likely brought to the new world from Africa on ships transporting slaves to market.

Yellow fever brought death to Memphis in 1828, 1855, and 1867. It was believed that the virus was often brought north by passengers traveling on steamships from New Orleans, which suffered many of the same problems. In 1873 yellow fever struck again when two boats arrived at the docks from New Orleans with sick men on board who died upon arrival, and soon there were several deaths on nearby Promenade Street. Attempts were made to disinfect the city, but they were ineffective and the number of deaths grew daily. 2,500 people died between August and November of 1873. Finally, the outbreak of 1878 was even more deadly with more than 5,000 dying and 25,000 fleeing the city—many permanently.

As a result, the population of Memphis was reduced to a tiny fraction of its original size. Many more whites in the city died than African-Americans, who may have had a stronger resistance to the virus. And so for the first time, African-Americans became the racial majority in Memphis, holding leadership positions and jobs formerly reserved only for whites–including policemen. Yellow fever not only changed the city’s population but shaped its culture: The birth of the blues; Robert Church, the first African-American millionaire; and the rich musical heritage of Beale Street were all made possible by the new opportunities afforded African-Americans after the yellow fever outbreaks.

The blues clubs and restaurants that line Beale Street, a National Historic Landmark, feature the distinctive and historic musical styles born in Memphis. By the early 1900s, Beale Street was filled with clubs, restaurants, and shops, many owned by African-Americans. From the 1920s to the 1940s, most of the Blues and Jazz legends of the time were frequent performers there, including Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters, and B.B. King.

Memphis became the home of many pioneers of various American music genres, including soul, blues, gospel, rock’n'roll, rock-a-billy, and country music. The musical traditions of Memphis created a galaxy of stars. Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Roy Orbison all made their first recordings at Sun Studio, arguably the most influential recording studio in American popular music. Stax Records created classic soul music, producing artists like Sam and Dave, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and many more.

Once a slave trading center, Memphis has been an important landmark for African-American cultural experience as well as a crucial battlefield in the fight for civil rights. The Lorraine Motel, now the home of the National Civil Rights Museum, was the location where the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, one day after giving his prophetic “I've Been to the Mountaintop” speech. The motel is now a museum dedicated to the memory of Dr. King and his legacy of peace and justice.

A FRONTIER HERO FOR THE AGES

Frontier hero Davy Crockett was born in 1786 along the banks of the Nolichucky River in Greene County, near present-day Limestone in East Tennessee. The Crockett family name was originally Monsieur de la Croquetagne; the family had immigrated to the new world from France in the 17th century. According to his autobiography, Crockett’s childhood was filled with hardship. Crockett was an avid and skilled hunter at a young age. He ran away from home at the age of thirteen and did not return home for almost three years, traveling across Tennessee and honing his skills as a hunter.

Crockett became a household name fighting Native Americans in the Creek War in the early 1800s. Always wearing his coonskin cap, an image that made him an American icon, Crockett used his folksy appeal to help him win election to the Tennessee Legislature in 1821, and then to three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Tennessee.

After Crockett’s third term in the House of Representatives, due to his dissatisfaction with the recent Presidential election in the United States, he traveled to Texas, which was then part of Mexico, and joined the Revolution for Texan Independence. Crockett was killed at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836 along with Jim Bowie and 180 other defenders.

For almost 50 years, citizens in West Tennessee petitioned the state to form a new county to give them better access to government. In 1871, Crockett County was created and named for David Crockett and Alamo was named its seat. Davy Crockett is also the subject of many books, plays, songs, and folklore—and his adventures have become partly fictionalized accounts including a popular children’s television program in the 1950s, when children would wear “coonskin” caps to emulate their hero. Two Tennessee State Parks are named for him: Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park in Limestone and David Crockett State Park outside Lawrenceburg.

THE CIVIL WAR IN WEST TENNESSEE

At the time of the American Civil War, Memphis was already crucial to the nation because of its plentiful river and railroad junctions, connections, and markets. When Tennessee seceded from the Union in June 1861, Memphis became a Confederate stronghold. Union forces recaptured Memphis from the Confederacy in the Battle of Memphis. On June 6, 1862, this spectacular naval battle fought between Union and Confederate ironclads and warships on the Mississippi River immediately north of Memphis was witnessed by many citizens and recreated in vivid newspaper articles around the world.

As many as 180 Confederate sailors were believed to have died in the battle, with the Union Navy suffering only a single casualty—Colonel Charles Ellet, who had designed and led the Union’s fleet of steam rams, died several days later of a wound received during the battle. Ellet’s steam rams were vital to the Union victory at the battle, and his sacrifice was honored when the U.S. Navy named a WWII era destroyer for him and his descendants, who were also respected ship architects.

The Battle of Memphis was a major victory for the Union that resulted in the destruction of most of the Confederacy’s naval capability—rendering the Mississippi River the Union’s sole domain, ensuring easy transport of men and supplies, and denying the Confederacy any transport ability on the largest and most important shipping channel in America. Combined with the Union’s destruction of the rail lines leading from Memphis to the Confederate strongholds in Eastern Tennessee, the Union capture of Memphis was a strategic necessity in the war effort.

After the battle, the city remained under Union control for the rest of the Civil War. Though a second “Battle of Memphis” occurred, this was only a desperate Confederate guerilla action to try and capture or assassinate Union Army generals while freeing Confederate captives in the area. The single-night raid failed miserably and the Union never lost control of the city.

Memphis continued to prosper unlike most cities within the South following the Civil War—by the nature of its location on the Mississippi River, and its strategic importance to both the war effort and the ongoing economic welfare of a river-shipping nation, Memphis was able to thrive while most other Southern cities languished in poverty.

During the height of the Civil War, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest was conducting an expedition into West Tennessee during most of December 1862. His plan was to destroy the rail line that supplied General Ulysses S. Grant's army, which would severely curtail or even halt Union Army operations.

By December 17, Forrest's 2,100-man cavalry brigade had crossed the Tennessee River and was heading west. The Battle at Jackson took placed on December 19, 1862 in Madison County. Grant ordered a troop concentration at Jackson to repulse the Confederates, but Forrest’s troops managed to break the lines and continue their advance. Using decoy attacks, Forrest’s men managed to keep the Union Army engaged while two small groups of Confederate soldiers destroyed the railroad tracks north and south of Jackson.

FROM KING COTTON TO CIVIL RIGHTS

Cotton is a simple plant that was an economic engine throughout the South, but in West Tennessee cotton was king. During the Civil War, West Tennessee and Memphis in particular supported a huge black market for raw cotton, which was in great demand by northern cotton mills because of the embargo enforced by the Confederacy. A January 1863 investigation for the Federal War Department concluded that in Memphis, a "mania for illicit cotton had corrupted and demoralized Union Army officers.”

With a fertile supply of Delta soil nourished by the Mississippi River, West Tennessee has a rich history rooted in the production of cotton. Memphis was widely known as “King Cotton” in the 19th and 20th centuries, and was the nation’s principal cotton trading center when the Memphis Cotton Exchange formally opened in 1873.

The industry had relied heavily on slave labor, so much that Memphis also became a major slave trading center. After the emancipation of the slaves in America the practice of sharecropping replaced the free labor of slavery. Sharecropping is a form of farming where tenants work the farms and fields in exchange for housing and food instead of wages, and this how the descendants of many slaves subsisted after the Civil War.

By the 1840s, the town of Jackson had become a cotton depot for the region and was quickly transforming into a railroad town, with as many as five railroads carrying passengers and freight through the city. As the railroads moved in, the town grew quickly and became an established market for lumber, farm products, and furs. During the Civil War, Jackson alternated between Confederate and Union occupation, and served as an important supply base due to its strong rail infrastructure. Today, the town is best known for two of its legendary residents, rock-a-billy musical pioneer Carl Perkins and heroic railroad engineer Casey Jones.

The Nutbush area was established in the early 19th century to be an agricultural community that was supported by slavery. The settlers who began the town were English immigrants who had first settled in North Carolina and Virginia. When the first settlers arrived here, they found hazelnut trees that reminded them of a village in North Carolina called Nutbush, which they decided was a fitting name for their new home. Nutbush is home to two churches with extensive links to the history of the Civil War and slavery.

The Trinity United Methodist Church was founded in 1822. More than 50 Civil War soldiers, both Confederate and Union, are buried in the Trinity Cemetery associated with the church. The building was often referred to as the “Buckhorn Church” because of the deer antlers that served as hat racks inside. Woodlawn Missionary Baptist Church in Nutbush was established in 1866 by freed slaves of the community and members of the white Woodlawn Baptist Church. A young Anna Mae Bullock, who grew up to become Tina Turner, the “Queen of Rock and Roll,” often sang in the choir here. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Nutbush is also the birthplace or home of many prominent music pioneers and recording artists such as Hambone Willie Newbern and Sleepy John Estes, as well as Tina Turner, born to sharecropper parents who worked the cotton fields. Turner honored her hometown with the hit song “Nutbush City Limits.” In 2001, Tennessee officially named Highway 19 as the “Tina Turner Highway” in her honor. Nearby Brownsville is home to the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center where the culture of the delta is celebrated and many musical pioneers are honored.

FROM RAILROARDS TO AUTOMOBILES

Until the early to mid 20th century, the railroads were the primary form of transport for goods and passengers—there was simply no other way to travel with such speed and ease, and modern roads did not exist. Towns like Martin, McKenzie, Stanton and Jackson were built on railroad trade, and helped supply the nation with the goods needed to build a growing nation. The places between the major rail destinations were generally inaccessible until long distance road travel became possible in the late 1930s.

As the volume of visitors using the roads increased, roadside attractions were developed to help attract tourists on their way to more popular destinations. These oddities and amusements competed with one another for tourist dollars, often using unusual photo opportunities and promises of the “World’s Largest” to stir the imagination and prompt a paying customer to stop and see.

When the interstate system was developed, many of these communities were bypassed again, and many of the roadside attractions went out of business and disappeared completely. But you can still see remnants of this classic period of American road travel. From the “World’s Largest Teapot Collection” in Trenton and “The Mindfield” sculpture park in Brownsville, West Tennessee is full of historic roadside attractions.

There’s more than meets the eye, or the ear, here in West Tennessee. Follow the rails, lose yourself in the fields of white, and find the tune that speaks to your soul on the historic Cotton Junction trail.

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General Area:

Memphis

Stops:

98

Get ready for the Cotton Junction Trail, a rural journey through West Tennessee, named for the hypnotic beauty of the region’s signature cotton fields in early fall. It’s dotted with amazing stories, historic landmarks, and unique sights.

Just as the first railroads once did, this route connects the area's classic small towns, with plenty of stops to admire handsome courthouses, pop into art galleries, and visit local museums. Learn about the American experience through the stories of early pioneers, railroad heroes, the reign of "King Cotton," the struggles of slaves and sharecroppers, and more. Sample some famous West Tennessee barbecue, and indulge your sweet tooth - and your nostalgic side - at one of the best old-time candy stores in the South.

The musical heritage on this trail is as rich as the Delta soil. Learn about blues legends, rock-a-billy heroes, and international icons like the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll" herself - Tina Turner - who have called this area home.

Like any good road trip, this trail is full of one-of-a-kind discoveries including quirky roadside attractions . Get up close and personal with exotic wildlife on a century-old family farm in Alamo; marvel at the giant, ever-evolving steel structure of Brownsville artist Billy Tripp; and tour the world's largest collection of teapots in Trenton. Whatever your "sweet spot," you'll find it on the Cotton Junction Trail.